Seven Tips To Get Employers To Notice Your CV

Want to get noticed by a potential employee – these tips will show you exactly how – read on.

1. Make A Good First Impression

Potential employers should get an idea of what your goals and motivations are with your introduction. The top of your CV should include your name, contact information, and a few lines stating your current professional goal. Ideally, your introduction should sum up what you have accomplished so far and you want to do next to achieve this goal. For instance, you could describe yourself as a recent graduate who wants to use your research and writing skills in an entry-level position.

2. Your Education And Qualifications

This section should give potential employers an overview of your qualifications. List degrees or classes in reverse chronological order so people can easily see the highest level of education you have achieved. List any classes or experiences you feel are relevant to the position you are applying for along with a short description of the skills and qualifications you acquired.

If you are listing your GCSE grades, indicate how many GCSEs you achieved and list your grades. Employers will probably look for your English and Math grades.

3. Relevant Work Experience

Your CV should list previous employment experience and draw attention to the positions that are most relevant to the one you are applying for. For each work experience, list the starting and end dates, the full job title, and the name of the employer. Add some bullet points for each position so you can talk about your responsibilities and achievements. Skip work experiences that aren’t relevant to the position you are applying for and list relevant experiences in chronological order.

4. Other Relevant Information

This section should make you stand out from other candidates. You could list extra-curricular activities, volunteering experience, interests, and skills you possess. Ask yourself which activities and skills would be a plus for the position you want. You could list university projects you completed, a Saturday job at a local supermarket, or some hobbies that helped you develop valuable skills.

If you don’t have a lot of elements to include in this section, create a short bullet point list with the employment experiences that weren’t relevant enough to be included in the previous section and try finding at least of a couple of projects or activities that would be interesting to mention.

You could mention a foreign language you have learned, tell a potential employer that you have a driving licence, or list your experience with coding languages and online research. If possible, list an activity that demonstrates you possess leadership skills, such as participating in a team sports or organizing an event at school.

5. Keep Your CV Short

One page should be enough to list relevant experience and skills. A two-page CV would be necessary for someone who has extensive experience as a manager and a long list of achievements for each management position they held in the past.

If your CV doesn’t fit on a page, go over it again and look for elements that aren’t essential. If something is vague or not related to the position you are applying for, remove it.

Avoid using long sentences on your CV. Bullet points will make key information stand out. Keep in mind that a recruiter typically doesn’t spend more than a few seconds on a CV before making a decision. Use formatting to make relevant experiences and skills stand out.

6. Tailor Your CV And Pay Attention To Details

Your CV should be tailored to the skills and experiences a recruiter is looking for. You might need to remove some work experiences or add more details about a hobby or another experience if it is closely related to the position you are applying for.

You can make a good impression on a recruiter by paying attention to details. Don’t forget to include start and end dates for your education and work experiences. Make sure your formatting is consistent throughout your CV and try to have bullet points with a similar size.

You should also tailor your introduction in function of the position you are going after. Your introduction is your chance to tell a recruiter why you are a good candidate for the position they want to fill.

Take the time to proofread your CV. Look for spelling, grammar, and formatting mistakes. Ask a friend to give you their honest opinion of your CV before printing it.

If you want some more information, then take a look at Capita ITR – this post has a range of great tips.